1931
I hate to talk about myself, but I must relate this tale. I have just been discharged, as I write this, from the hospital, where my gall bladder was subtracted. Everything seems to be O.K. Right after the operation, back in my cozy semiprivate facility, I received a phone call from Lucy Cogswell. "What did you think of the score?" she said. I said, "What score?" as the nurse fiddled with my I.V. "Get with it," she said, "Dartmouth just whopped Harvard this afternoon." "Oh, good," I said. Then she said, "How are you doing?" I brightened visibly and said, "Coming along just fine." How's that for an intelligent conversation?
Jim Rice forwarded a clipping telling about his 25 years of service on the school board in Highline, Wash. Jim finally retired from the board but has left a remarkable record behind him. Twenty-one new schools were built during his first 13 years on the board, as district enrollment swelled from 16,000 to 31,000 in 1967. Then the bottom fell out of the boom. During his last 12 years on the board, 20 schools were closed. He calls it "the rise and fall of the Highline empire." Jim's record is an outstanding one another instance of dedicated public service. We have other members of the class who have gone the same route. It would be interesting to hear more of this kind of effort.
Lucy forwarded a comfortable batch of missives from class dues-payers, and here are a few: Val and Ed Mecutcheon went on from the 50th in June to Cape Bretton, Nova Scotia, where they stayed two weeks. They plan to be in Tampa, Fla., during February and March.
Sam Taylor moves around. He says he visited Door County, Wise., where the natives are fond of canned, unsweetened cherry juice laced with vodka. What do they call it? A "cherry bomb," of course. Sam planned to be in Hanover for the Cornell game and then back in Ann Arbor for the Illinois-Michigan game.
Helping to edit the Harvard Press edition of the works of Rajph Waldo Emerson, Doug Wilson spends about a month every summer at Harvard working on materials in the Houghton Library, but he does most of his work at home. One volume he's edited, Representative Men, has just passed inspection by the committee for scholarly editions of the Modern Language Association and may be published in a year or two. Other volumes are in progress.
Ted and Don Cruikshank kept going after the 50th in June, with a 16-day trip to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. He says he's seen Smokey Joe Adams in Japan twice in February 1972 and October 1978.
From Zellwood Station, Fla., Ernie Moore writes: "We continue to enjoy this lovely community and its people. There is plenty of outside activity and enjoyment in the expanding Orlando area." I for one would like to know if they still use their 1775 Minuteman costumes.
Ed Gruen says that, because Berta feels she is not up to a European trip anymore, a female acquaintance of theirs is coming here from Switzerland. Among other American attractions, the Gruens are going to show her the Hanover area.
Ruth and Fred Slaughter made it to Wellesley in May to witness the graduation of their number-one granddaughter a Phi Beta Kappa.
Traveling to California in September, Janeand George Hetfield visited Gloria and WillHays in Ranch Palos Verdes. Will is recovering from a series of operations. George says that reminiscing over old Hanover days brought uncontrollable tears of laughter and proved that they both still have their memory marbles.
A1 Bucher retired in August and moved to Henniker, N.H., where he plays golf with his old 1931-type wooden-handled clubs and composes piano and organ music. At the 50th, Al said he was going to tell me more about the music but I haven't heard yet. It all sounds interesting.
Henny and Sid Rubin have also been oceanhopping, spending two weeks in Switzerland and a week in Antwerp, Belgium, visiting Henny's sister. That visiting part sounds good to me; I enjoy touring by bus or plane or whatever, but you never get to meet anyone that way.
Although he has been in constant touch, Bunce Clarkson still refuses to reveal the scores of the golf tournament at our 50th. I maintain that those scores should be published. Bunce reports that son Roger is the father of Kristen Karen Clarkson, born October 5. 0.K., grand- pa, get into line.
Hart Gilchrist sends a business card relating to his new connection in Denver. "DeMoulin, Anderson, Campbell and Laugesen A Professional Corporation." Not very informative, but intriguing. Hart, what does it all mean?
Still keeping his hand in, Johnny Benson is now president of the Association of Class Bequest Chairs. More dedicated service. And so, to bed.
R.F.D. Box 33 Chebeague Istend, Me. 04017
